Week 2 of the 2024 CrossFit Semifinals rewrote history.
CrossFit returned to Carson, California, to host the North America West Semifinal by West Coast Classic, where over 10 athletes from the Carson era returned to showcase their fitness once again.
Concurrently, the best in Oceania were battling for a ticket to Texas at the Oceania Semifinal by Torian Pro.
Take a look at the 2024 CrossFit Games qualifiers and highlights from Week 2 of Semifinals.
WEEK 2 CROSSFIT GAMES QUALIFIERS
North America West
Men
- Justin Medeiros
- Brent Fikowski
- James Sprague
- Patrick Vellner
- Samuel Kwant
- Chris Ibarra
- Brandon Luckett
- Cole Sager
- Cole Greashaber
Women
- Abigail Domit
- Alex Gazan
- Arielle Loewen
- Hattie Kanyo
- Emily Rolfe
- Dani Speegle
- Bethany Flores
- Kyra Milligan
Teams
- CrossFit Invictus
- CrossFit Invictus Unconquerable
- CrossFit Complex Wodex
- CrossFit Queretaro The W Pack
- Einhorn CrossFit
- CrossFit Kemah
- CrossFit Overtake Team Density
Oceania
Men
- Ricky Garard
- Bayley Martin
- Jay Crouch
- Peter Ellis
Women
- Grace Walton
- Madeline Sturt
- Daisy McDonald
- Georgia Pryer
Teams
- Raw Iron CrossFit Mayhem Thunder
- CrossFit Torian Mayhem
- CrossFit EXF
WEEK 2 HIGHLIGHTS
Hannah Black Sets Women’s World Record in Team Event 2
Photo by Adam Bow
Put a barbell in Hannah Black's hands and she will set a world record.
Last year, Black set the Individual Event 4 world record at the North America West Semifinal, snatching an incredible 215 lb.
This year, she joined Team CrossFit Invictus Unconquerable and was given another stage to showcase her strength during Team Event 2, the Barbell Complex. Opening with 230 lb, Black made a 15-lb jump and successfully lifted 245 lb, setting another world record.
“Honestly, I love the pressure,” Black said. “When I was a weightlifter, I always hit more in competition than I did in training, and here is the same.”
Team CrossFit Invictus Unconquerable took the win in Event 2, lifting a total of 1,095 lb.
Like Father, Like Son
Photo by Adam Bow
It’s July 2016. Patrick Sprague is in Carson, California, competing against the fittest men in the world aged 55-59 at the CrossFit Games. In the crowd, his teenage son watches in awe.
“That is going to be me one day,” he thought.
The next year, young James joined his first CrossFit Open in the Boys 14-15 division. Eight years later, he is competing on the exact same floor his dad did.
James Sprague is continuing his father’s legacy at the 2024 North America West Semifinal, starting off the weekend with a first-place finish in Event 1.
“I watched the sport grow from here. I watched my dad in 2016. That’s where I found my love for the sport,” James said. “I get to continue his legacy, and I find that really cool (that) I get to pick up where my dad left off."
Semifinals Rookie Tops Women’s Field
Photo by Adam Bow
Who is Caitlin Bernardin?
The 31-year-old topped the women's leaderboard after two events at the 2024 North America West Semifinal.
No, she has not been to the CrossFit Games. In fact, this is her first appearance at Semifinals.
The individual rookie is the head coach of B2B CrossFit. She participated in her first CrossFit Open in 2019 and qualified for the Individual Quarterfinal in 2021. This year, Bernardin just made the cut for her first Semifinals after taking 36th at the Individual Quarterfinal.
But, put Bernardin in front of a crowd and her talent shines.
She won Event 1 and continued to top the women’s leaderboard after a fourth-place finish in Event 2.
“It’s my work ethic,” Bernardin said about her success this weekend. “It’s consistency and my mindset. Going to work every day. It’s just a passion of mine, and I love doing what I do.”
"I Got That Adversity Out of the Way"
Photo by Adam Bow
Pat is back.
Patrick Vellner finished the Individual Quarterfinal in 22nd place after receiving a penalty. So, that placed him in the lowest-ranked heat to start the North America West Semifinal.
“I think, honestly, coming in from the penalty at Quarterfinals, starting in the first heat, (I) sort of got that adversity out of the way before the competition even started,” Vellner said. “I already had to be sharp and regroup.”
Taking fourth place in Event 1 and banking two more second-place finishes, Vellner topped the men’s leaderboard heading into the final day of competition. After six events, he had secured fourth place and his 10th ticket to the CrossFit Games.
Game Recognize Game
Photo by Adam Bow
In the eight years since a CrossFit Games competition was last in Carson, the sport has evolved significantly.
But one thing that has remained consistent is the camaraderie and respect on the field.
That is the beauty of CrossFit.
Six-time Games athlete Sam Dancer competed at the 2016 CrossFit Games, and he is back in Carson to compete at the 2024 North America West Semifinal. Although the venue brought back an “explosion” of memories, he is inspired by the next generation of athletes taking over the sport.
“It’s remarkable to be out there with some of the athletes. Colten Mertens, for instance — running next to him and seeing him on that first workout. While I (was) working out, I (was) thinking to myself, ‘This is incredible what this man is accomplishing right now.’”
Same Venue, New Sport
Cole Sager at the 2024 North America West Semifinal by West Coast Classic
“The average ability of people in Heat 1 (at the 2024 North America West Semifinal) is probably better than a lot of the field at the Games in 2016 when I was here last,” nine-time Games athlete Patrick Vellner said.
In 2010, the CrossFit Games outgrew The Ranch in Aromas, California, and took up shop in Carson until 2016. This was the first time athletes were expected to perform in front of a live crowd, but the sport was still in its infancy.
Eight years later, the Sport of Fitness returned to the iconic stadium. But this is not the same sport.
The fan base is larger, the athletes are fitter, and the events are much harder.
“We’ve definitely professionalized … people are really trying to make this a career,” Cole Sager, who was gunning for his 11th trip to the Games, said. “I wanted to make it a career myself, and the fact that we could do that with our sport is really, really cool, and speaks to the passion behind the sport.”
“This Is Truly Just the Beginning”
Photo by Charlotte Foerschler
When CrossFit Invictus Unconquerable stepped onto the competition floor Friday morning, three members were searching for their first ticket to the CrossFit Games.
But this weekend, this relatively green team proved that talent can trump experience.
Not only did the team finish in second place, punching a ticket to the 2024 CrossFit Games, but they also gave their sister super team CrossFit Invictus a run for their money.
“We’ve really only trained together a handful of times. This is truly just the beginning. Time is in our favor going into the Games. All I have to say is we are just getting started and we have so much to improve on until Games. Watch out,” Emily Rethwell said.
An Ode to the Past
Photo by Adam Bow
As Jamie Hagiya started her descent down the stadium stairs for Event 4, she was repping a bright teal CrossFit Games jersey.
This was the same jersey she wore at the 2016 CrossFit Games — the last Games she had attended before hanging up her gym bag.
Why? Hagiya completed the same snatch event at the 2016 Regionals, which ultimately led to her ticket to the Games.
Today, Hagiya is 39 years old and has just come out of a six-year retirement. But she is still beloved by the entire crowd at the 2024 North America West Semifinal.
After each successful snatch, a crescendo of cheers echoed off the stadium walls. With just over a minute remaining, Hagiya was the final athlete left on the floor. She threw the 175-lb bar overhead and stood the mass up.
The entire crowd was on its feet.
“The crowd was so great,” Hagiya said. “It almost made me cry to see everyone behind me to get the last rep.”
Older and Fitter
Photo by Adam Bow
Individual Event 5 at the 2024 North America West Semifinal was familiar territory for eight-time CrossFit Games athlete Brent Fikowski.
After completing the same event at the 2016 Regionals, this was a test to see just how much he had evolved over the years.
In 2016, Fikowski finished in 7:31.24. In 2024 — eight years older and wiser — he finished over 2 minutes faster in 5:12.15.
“I wish I knew back then what I know now about training and how to prep for a comp,” Fikowski said. “I’m definitely stronger, and I definitely know myself better. I think that’s probably the biggest thing is I kind of learned what works for me and kind of put aside things that maybe would work for someone else.”
“The Methodology Works!”
Photo by Ruby Wolff
Alethea Boon, the beloved five-time CrossFit Games competitor out of New Zealand, had the crowd on its feet during Event 5, the snatch ladder, at the 2024 Oceania Semifinal.
At 40 years old, Boon qualified for Semifinals after placing 18th in the Individual Quarterfinal and also won the Age-Group Quarterfinal in the Women’s 40-44 division.
She is also one of the few athletes who had already tested the snatch ladder back at the 2016 Regionals.
She proved her strength is continuing to evolve as she ages.
Boon completed the final two snatches at 175 lb and bested her previous 2016 Regional time by 3 seconds.
“So this is 40 💁🏾♀️💪. Love this CrossFit stuff. The methodology works!” Boon commented on Instagram.
The Super Team Down Under Takes Gold
Photo by Ruby Wolff
As teams were announcing their rosters for the 2024 CrossFit Games season, a new and exciting addition to the super-team pool emerged.
Kara Saunders, Khan Porter, James Newbury, and Emily de Rooy had joined forces to create Raw Iron CrossFit Mayhem Thunder, and all eyes were on the team heading into the Oceania Semifinal.
Starting the final day of competition, CrossFit Mayhem Thunder was in a first-place tie with CrossFit Torian Mayhem.
And the team desperately wanted that gold medal.
The team took first place in Event 4, and a third-place finish in the finale secured them the top of the podium by just 4 points over Torian.
Only One Rookie
Photo by Ruby Wolff
Four men were invited to the 2024 CrossFit Games out of the Oceania Semifinal, but only one will make their Games debut this year.
Twenty-two-year-old Peter Ellis had his first taste of Semifinals in 2022. By 2023, he was just outside the cutline for Games contention.
He wouldn’t let that happen again.
Taking top-10 finishes in five of six events, Ellis secured the fourth and final ticket to Fort Worth, standing next to a podium of CrossFit Games legends.
Welcome to the Games, Grace
Photo by Ruby Wolff
2024 is Grace Walton’s year.
Although Walton had been vying for a ticket to the CrossFit Games since 2021, the chance of making it toTexas was looking better this year.
Walton finished the 2024 CrossFit Open in second worldwide. She then banked another second-place finish in Oceania in the Individual Quarterfinal.
Carrying this momentum through the Oceania Semifinal, Walton never dropped below sixth place in any event.
Not only did Walton secure her first ticket to the CrossFit Games, but she beat the entire women’s field, bearing the gold medal on the final day of competition.
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Cover photo by Johany Jutras